Pain relief options
Morphine
What are morphine injections?
Morphine is a strong pain reliever, usually injected directly your arm or thigh.
- the effect of morphine can last anywhere from two to four hours.
- morphine can make you feel sick, so anti-nausea medications are usually administered at the same time.
What are the possible side effects?
For mother:
- dizziness and nausea
- disorientation and altered perception
- respiratory depression (reduced breathing).
For baby:
- because baby is exposed to the drug via the umbilical cord, it may cause difficulty with breathing at birth, particularly if the baby delivers soon after a morphine injection
- it may also interfere with breastfeeding.